


You've been a good friend

by noalinnea



Category: 24 (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-14
Updated: 2017-04-14
Packaged: 2018-10-18 22:31:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10626468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noalinnea/pseuds/noalinnea
Summary: Written in 2007...





	

Bill knew he would never be able to forget this afternoon. Her screams had etched themselves deep into his memory while he had been with her during her last minutes, so close and still too far away. Before all communication had broken down, he had been forced to listen to her being tortured to death, unable to do anything, the tac team too far out to get there in time.

He had been nauseous ever since and felt oddly disconnected, barely able to function. They had brought her back hours ago, he knew she was down at the clinic but he hadn’t felt capable of going down there yet.

He had sent home almost all of his staff, only a small core being busy with nightly routine tasks when he finally ventured to direct his steps to the clinic, the lump in his throat growing bigger with every step he took. When he hesitantly pushed open the door, he found Jack next to her. Pale as a ghost, holding her small white hand in one of his, the other one tracing her bruised and battered face, his eyes red and swollen. Taking in the two of them, Bill’s chest constricted painfully. He stood rooted to the spot, unable to move or say anything, the pain that flooded through him paralysing him.

Jack’s eyes never left Chloe when he finally spoke, the pain so intense in his voice that Bill’s heart missed a beat: “I never told her, Bill. I never told her how I felt. I should have taken her away. I should have gotten her to safety.” His voice breaking, he repeated: “I should have told her.”

Bill fought hard to keep his voice from shaking, knowing nothing he could say could offer the broken man in front of him any solace:

“She knew, Jack, I’m sure. And I’m sure she felt the same.”

“I should have gotten her to safety.”

“There was nothing anyone could do.” He took a step towards Jack and carefully placed his hand on Jack’s shoulder. He could feel his whole body tremble under his hand.

“If I only had taken her away…” Jack’s voice broke. “I can't be without her, Bill, I just- can't. She was the last person I couldn’t afford to lose.”

Bill closed his eyes in agony, in a desperate attempt to shut out what he knew was going to come. The hollow sound of Jack’s voice made the blood in his veins freeze when the other man asked hoarsely: “Would you take care of Kim for me?”

Bill was unable to respond, completely helpless for the second time this day. Tears clouding his vision, the only thing he could do was to squeeze Jack’s shoulder, meeting his friend’s eyes for what he knew was going to be the last time.

“Thank you, Bill. You have been a good friend.”

“I don’t know what to say, Jack. I am so sorry.”

“There’s nothing left to say.”

Jack gave him one last look before his eyes settled on Chloe again, and Bill knew there was nothing he could do. It was too late.

Somehow he managed to get back to his office and call Karen to tell her he wouldn’t come home. Then he sat at his desk, waiting. Minutes slowly turned into hours, while he continued to just sit there, staring straight ahead, unable to think, unable to breathe properly, a huge lump in his throat and his stomach tied into a painful knot. His ears trained on what he knew was going to come, the only thing he could hear was the rush of his his own blood and the soft humming of his computer.

He jumped when he heard the shot, the wave of adrenaline that hit him causing his whole body to tremble.

Bracing himself for the sight to come, he slowly got up, exited his office and descended the stairs, carefully placing one foot in front of the other, a tight grip around the handrail.

Down at the clinic he extended one hand to the wall to steady himself, running the other one through his hair in a futile attempt to regain control over his breathing. Taking a few deep breaths, he allowed himself a brief moment before he pushed open the door.

When he entered the room, his eyes immediately fell on Jack’s sprawled out figure on the floor next to her bed, his right hand still closed around his gun. Bill's mind went completely blank, his body taking over and automatically fulfilling the necessary tasks. He knelt down next to Jack, cradled his head in his hands and caught himself almost tenderly wiping at the blood that was seeping from his head. Then he lifted him into his arms and for his last rest placed him next to the woman he had loved above all.

Bill had never believed in any sort of afterlife, but at the sight of his both friends united in death only, he sincerely wished there was a place where both of them would be together and free of pain. Looking at their pale faces, the lump that had formed in his throat suddenly burst, and he sank to the floor, his whole body beginning to shake when the first violent sob escaped his lips.


End file.
